Comparing the Qualities of Jacob and Joseph in the Bible Essay

Comparing the Qualities of Jacob and Joseph in the Bible - Essay Example diplomatically, either. When he had a series of dreams that showed in symbols his brothers and parents bowing down to him, he hastened to let them know about it. This arrogance inflamed his brothers further (The old testament). Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah. For twenty years they lived happily together. But like Abraham and Sarah, they had no children. Isaac pleaded with the Lord that he would bless them. So God gave them twins. Finally the big day came when the twins were born. The first came out red, and all hairy like an animal skin. They named him Esau. As Esau was born they noticed that the next child was being born holding onto Esau's heal. They named this son Jacob. As the boys grew up, Isaac seems to love Esau more than Jacob. One day Jacob was cooking up a nice lentil stew and some bread. But, before he ate it Esau came by on his way home from a hunting trip. Esau was very hungry and very tired. He had been hunting for a long time and caught nothing. Esau was starving so he begged Jacob to let him eat his nice stew. Jacob thought for a moment, and then said he would sell it to Esau for the birthright. The birthright was all the major possessions that a man owned that was always given to the oldest son. Esau was so hungry he thought that if he did not get something to eat right now he would die, so what difference would it make if he agreed to give Jacob the birthright. So Esau agreed to sell his birthright to Jacob for some bread and lentil stew. Jacob made Esau swear an oath on this agreement, and he did (Jacob and Isaac). Isaac was growing old, and he could not see well. He thought he was going to die soon, so he called Esau to him to give him the birthright blessing. While Esau was away to seek a deer, Jacod pretended to be Esau in front of his dying father and was able to get his father birthright blessings (Jacob tricks Isaac). Jacod not only took his brother's birthright, but also their father's birthright blessing as well, in those days, birthright blessing can only be given once. Even though Isaac realized later on that he gave the birthright blessing to the wrong son, he can no longer get it back. Jacob was a dishonest man due to his longing for earthly things. He tricked both his brother and father. He's actions where always governed by the flesh and its carnal desires. Jacod made two great mistakes: Firstly, he convinced his brother Esau to renounce his birthright. He has done this when Esau was so hungry and begging for food. Esau had no choice then but to submit to Jacob's condition in order not to die from hunger. Secondly, Jacob tricked his father Isaac. In order to get the birthright blessing from his father rather than to his brother, who is the oldest son. This made Esau very angry and planned to kill Jacob. The story of Joseph is what seems to be the other side of the coin. Joseph was the 11th son Jacob whom he loved the most. This made Joseph's brothers jealous and cruel with him. One day when they were all away from home, the bad brothers threw Joseph into an empty well after tearing off his coat which his father had given him. While Joseph was in the empty well, a caravan of merchants passed by. They picked him up and took him with them to Egypt as a prisoner